In Dakota County, groundwater supplies more than 90 percent of the drinking water. In order to protect Dakota County's primary drinking water source, this project proposes to support the County well seal grant cost-share program. The project will provide 50 percent cost-share funding to reimburse landowners for the sealing of unused wells. The goal is to permanently seal between 80-100 unused/abandoned wells throughout the county.
As a part of the Mississippi Headwaters Stormwater Retrofit Analysis, a feasibility study was conducted on the Bemidji State University property to determine possible subsurface water quality best management practices options. Staff from Beltrami SWCD, in cooperation with the City of Bemidji and Bemidji State University, are proposing to install a subsurface stormwater treatment system to reduce Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Total Phosphorus (TP) loading to Lake Bemidji and subsequently the Mississippi River.
The Chief's Coulee drainage area, in northern Thief River Falls, has been identified as a source of flooding and water quality concerns through inspection and water quality sampling. Once a natural drainage course, many diverse land uses now surround the Coulee which include agriculture, industrial railroad yards, grain elevators, recycling operators, residential development, and municipal street department facilities. Extremely high concentrations of pollutants and water quality indicators, such as E.
The farming of lumber is a huge part of Minnesota history. In fact the towns of Bemidji, Akeley, and Brainerd, Minnesota have each boasted themselves the birth place of the famous Paul Bunyan. It is our goal to remind community members of this rich Minnesotan tradition of tree falling by having a demonstration of lumberjacks (a free event) at the fair this year. At the end of the lumberjack event there will be time for kids to do hands-on learning and training of how our ancestors worked with wood, not only to build homes but to create a living.
The proposed alum treatment will reduce internal phosphorus loading by 527 lb/yr and ensure Forest Lake remains below the state standard of 40 ?g/L summer average phosphorus concentration. Forest Lake is not listed as impaired for nutrients, but summertime phosphorus readings occasionally exceed state standards, meaning this lake is at great risk of becoming impaired. CLFLWD sets its own goal for Forest Lake to achieve and maintain a summertime average phosphorus concentration of 30 ?g/L (i.e., even lower than the state standard).
The VRWJPO, and its partner, the City of Lakeville, propose the installation of a fish barrier to prevent migration of rough fish between East Lake in Lakeville, MN and the North Creek tributary of the Vermillion River (North Creek). The partners also propose rough fish removals from East Lake. East Lake is a nutrient-impaired water body. Rough fish, specifically common carp and goldfish are both invasive species that have been found to be exacerbating internal nutrient load issues within East Lake.
The project involves installation of a number of stormwater best management practices in the road right-of-way and on adjacent public property during reconstruction of Johnny Cake Ridge Road and installation of the Dakota County North Creek Greenway. Practices implemented will include boulevard raingardens, tree trenches, and underground sediment collection practices.
In 2010, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency listed Keller Lake as impaired for excess nutrients. An in-lake alum application was identified as the primary phosphorus load reduction option for controlling internal phosphorus load in Keller Lake. A recently completed in-lake management feasibility study report indicates that the in-lake alum application is the most cost-effective implementation project that remains for Keller Lake.
